JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – On to the girls basketball final four for Bishop Kenny, Oakleaf and St. Augustine. The three area teams punched their tickets on Friday with victories in the regional finals.
Oakleaf, which had never been this deep in the postseason, had no trouble with visiting Timber Creek in a 76-61 win. The Knights will face Tampa Plant in the Class 7A state semifinals on Friday in Lakeland.
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Bishop Kenny demolished visiting West Florida 51-27 behind a wicked start. The Crusaders (20-9) jumped out to an 18-0 start before West Florida managed to hit a bucket 11 minutes into the game.
The state semifinal berth is the third in a row for Kenny under coach Charlsea Clark. The Crusaders, who face Lake Highland Prep in the final four on Thursday at 10 a.m., have finished as state runner-up back-to-back years.
In Region 1-5A, St. Augustine reached its first state semifinal since 2001 with a 52-47 victory over Fort Walton Beach. The Yellow Jackets (26-1) have been on a tear and enter their state semifinal game against Palm Bay on Thursday at 2 p.m. on a 21-game winning streak.
University Christian’s season came to an end with a 59-36 loss on the road to Tallahassee’s Florida A&M.
Regional finals
Friday’s results
Region 1-7A
Oakleaf 76, Timber Creek 61
Region 1-5A
St. Augustine 52, Fort Walton Beach 47
Region 1-4A
Bishop Kenny 51, West Florida 27
Region 1-2A
Tallahassee Florida A&M 59, University Christian 36
State semifinals
at RP Funding Center, Lakeland
Thursday, Feb. 25
Class 4A
Lake Highland Prep (17-0) vs. Bishop Kenny (20-9), 10 a.m.
Class 5A
St. Augustine (26-1) vs. Palm Bay (21-3), 2 p.m.
Friday, Feb. 26
Oakleaf (24-2) vs. Tampa Plant (24-3), 12:30 p.m.